The first thing you notice about Ilse (pronounced Elsie) as you walk into her Whitsunday home, is her sparkling blue eyes and broad playful smile. At a spritely 91 years old, Ilse has lived a colourful life, emigrating from Germany with her husband Felix in 1959.
We sit down for a ‘cuppa and a chocky biccie’ and she excited to tell me about her life.
A lifetime of stories tumble out, how she met Hitler when she was six years old and he patted her on the head.
“At that age, I had no idea who he was. I told him to go away!” she laughs.
She tells me how she worked at a washing machine factory and ran a delicatessen in Melbourne. Beautiful old pictures came out of a well-loved box and she shows me herself as a young smiling woman in overalls at a factory and standing behind the cake counter.
When her husband passed away eight years ago, they had been married for 63 years and I could see her eyes well up at the thought of him.
“I still miss him every day,” she confided.
After his passing Ilse, moved to the Whitsundays to be near her son and his wife. Her son, now 72 himself, has helped her live the independent life she enjoys.
“I am very lucky. I have a house, I have enough money, I have great neighbours and the support of my community,” she said.
One thing that struck me about Ilse is that she has immense gratitude for her life, a positive attitude and a feisty opinionated charm.
“I saw that T.V. show about nursing homes last year, when that old man was hit with a shoe by a male nurse, I couldn’t believe it! If it were me, I would’ve hit him back!”
I told her that this T.V. show had actually inspired us to write this story. We wanted to celebrate the good news stories, show how important it was to support our older members of the community so they could live independently for as long as possible.
Ilse glanced to her left and smiled warmly at Anita who had been sitting with us the whole time. Anita is Ilse’s home care worker who works for Whitsunday Home Care, a government funded service, providing care for older members of our community.
Anita visits twice a week to sit and chat, go for walks, help with cleaning and shopping. More than that, she is Isle’s friend and confidant. It was clear they enjoyed sharing many conversations.
“I have the most wonderful job,” said Anita, looking fondly at Ilse and taking her hand.
“There’s nothing like coming to work and loving what you do. The love for your clients, the enjoyment you get when you see a smile on their face.”
I soon discovered there is a team of support for Ilse, a community of people who all individually help. The police officer who lives opposite makes her feel safe at night, the neighbours who mow her lawn and her son and daughter-in-law who help with the weekly shop.
With this caring community around her, Ilse’s house often has visitors and she feels connected to the outside world. Indeed, she has been known to help her neighbours out as well.
“I get a call one morning at 2am from my neighbour. His wife has gone into labour and he wants me to go round there and babysit his two-year-old son. I put my dressing-gown on and went straight round,” she says proudly.
After meeting Ilse, I can see how important it is for older people to be have the opportunity to live in their own home. Without Whitsunday Home Care and the supportive community around her, Ilse could not do this.
They say it takes a community to raise a child, well, in that case, it must take a community to look after our older members as well.
Do you have an elderly person living near you? Perhaps you could call round and say hi.
